Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley was mostly prune orchards and pastures when, in 1962, Maggie and Harry Wetzel purchased a large portion of a homestead built by Cyrus Alexander, the valley’s nineteenth century namesake. Here, in a rural community of family farms and ranches, the Wetzel family settled. They raised livestock, cultivated bountiful gardens and restored Alexander’s original home, ma... Read more

Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley was mostly prune orchards and pastures when, in 1962, Maggie and Harry Wetzel purchased a large portion of a homestead built by Cyrus Alexander, the valley’s nineteenth century namesake. Here, in a rural community of family farms and ranches, the Wetzel family settled. They raised livestock, cultivated bountiful gardens and restored Alexander’s original home, making it the center of family life. With an eye to their neighbors in nearby Napa Valley, the Wetzels boldly planted premium grape varieties, among the first in the area. Then the family built a small winery.
Hank Wetzel, oldest son of Maggie and Harry, produced Alexander Valley Vineyard’s first wine in 1975. His wife Linda set up the books and managed the winery office. AVV quickly established a reputation for estate grown wines with distinctive varietal character. Acclaimed for crisp Chardonnay and luscious Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley Vineyards brought recognition to the appellation and became a leading winery in Sonoma County.
Hank’s younger sister, Katie Wetzel Murphy, joined the family business in 1979. An enthusiastic ambassador, she travels the country, fueling the family-owned winery’s reputation. Today the Alexander Valley is a prominent appellation known worldwide as the source of elegant, age worthy wines. The Wetzel Family Estate now grows fourteen grape varieties, on diverse sites stretching from the banks of the Russian River up onto the hillsides. Each grape variety is matched to a specific soil type and exposure. Vineyard Manager Mark Houser and Winemaker Kevin Hall work as a team to maximize fruit flavor in the vineyard and to create balanced wines that capture the grapes’ varietal characteristics. Hank Wetzel oversees the vineyard and winery operations, and his wife Linda continues to oversee administration. Now the third generation of Wetzels has joined the winery. Harry Wetzel, IV is assistant winemaker while younger brother Robert is the National Sales Manager.
Alexander Valley Vineyards produces 100,000 cases annually, 17 varietal wines and proprietary blends. Seventy-five percent of AVV’s production is red wine. Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon constitute roughly half of total production. Other varietals include Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Gewurztraminer, Syrah, Sangiovese, Viognier, and Cabernet Franc.
CYRUS, a limited production, proprietary red wine, named in honor of the pioneer Cyrus Alexander, is AVV’s benchmark, honoring the past while signaling the future. Hank Wetzel explains, "Cyrus is a statement, our ultimate achievement. With this wine, we express our history, tradition, and excellence".
We invite you to visit our tasting room daily except major holidays. Tours are available by appointment.
Tasting room hours: 10am–5pm Read less

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Raspberry candy and root beer greet the nose backed by a lovely, tense steely tone. Sweetly fruited with watermelon jolly ranchers and black raspberry fruits that are sweet and supple yet quite focused. This really has a wonderful mouthfeel, it’s still a little tight and rigid, and quite refreshing. The tannins are still just a touch stiff even if they are very well balanced and the wine can stand a bit of time in the bottle but it’s certainly attractive right now. 90pts

On first opening the nose consists of sour pie cherries with strong mineral notes. The palate is currant, toast and spice with a lingering cedar spice finish. With air the nose develops dark currant notes as does the palate with a finish that has more toasty character to the spices.

Good, but not as good as the 2006 or the 2005. Not as much depth on the palate as previous years. Good nose and easy drinking. A nice wine but lacks that little tad more structure that past years have had.Cheers!

Cherry on the nose with a little pepper. Dark through the middle with light coming through on the edges. Nice spice with dark fruit forward to start. Long finish.
A nice wine to start the evening with. Have a haunted house to attend to support the local Humane Society.

This is a wine destined for greatness. The 2005 is a rich, juicy Cab with an expressive nose of cassis and spice, and flavors of black cherry and cocoa along with an undercurrent of eucalyptus and mint. The wine is already displaying a lot of concentration and depth, indicating it should keep getting better and better.

Tasting Notes:

Concentrated, rich and intense, the 5-Star General offers a full-force Cabernet experience. The silken core reveals layers of flavors wrapped in plush tannins. A tight yet juicy mix of cedar, wild berry and black currant fuse with hints of anise, eucalyptus and a mineral essence to linger into the finish. Best to give this General some breathing room before serving, or a few more years in the cellar.